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Around the Block, August CKC

Friday, 24 January 2014

The January Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit, All Is Bright was a delight to work with as I quickly built layouts and happily captured some of my memories from Christmas 2009. This was the first Christmas that Robin and I spent together. Only five years ago, yet I look at the photos and think, "we looked so much younger then." Well there is no stopping time, but there is the capturing of memories, and that, my dear friend, is what scrapbooking is mostly about.

The kit as it was at the start:

And the layouts that resulted:

This one incorporated a bit of inspiration from some packaging. Like the dog food bag in the previous post, sometimes I get obsessed with the oddest of items.

A new concept for me. Differing shades of cardstock in a two page layout. The jury is still out on whether this was successful or not.

Then for a change of pace, how about a tour of my first studio?

I still had paper and embellies but the rest of the photos for Christmas 2009 are very yellow and clashed with the kit. Christmas 2010 through 2012 have been completed and I have yet to print photos for Christmas 2013, so I just carried on without.

And then I took the last remnants and made lasagna paper.

I call it lasagna paper because the first time I did this with the final bits of a kit, it ended up being used to showcase the story about a pan of lasagna. I don't know what story this one will be used to tell, but there is lots of room in the patterned paper collection for it to sit for awhile.

And that concludes the January kit, All Is Bright. Seven completed layouts. Two waiting for photos, titles and journaling. Plus three from December that need photos and journaling. And one piece of patterned paper that needs to find it's calling. That will bring the total to 13 when they are all put to bed.

With a week now until the next kit reveal, I am working on two large projects. One is a total revamp of my storage system. The other is scrapping a trip to Vegas that was taken in 2009. Reorganizing is something I like to do just about as much as I like scrapping. Either way, you get to play with all the little pretties.

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

A couple of posts back, I mentioned I would return with December details. No time like the present. Like most people, December gets to be a very busy month for me. Extra social activities, and preparations for Christmas celebrations on top of one's regular daily responsibilities. Something has to make room. Usually it is the "me" time. And that means there is little to show off for December scrapping.

In November, many were sharing their preparations to do a December Daily project. I knew this would be a futile effort for me. Took a page from the book though and decided to use my camera every day in December. Not just a photo a day, through as many events require lots and lots of photos. More than 900 images later, my December photo file, like an uncle after his Christmas dinner, is stuffed. And I am satisfied, as I completed the goal. Now, however, begins the editing and choosing which will be printed.

With the cart before the horse approach, I have made pages from my January CKC Kit, All Is Bright. In fact, I made some of them before I made the kit. Nothing like getting a jump on your Christmas scrapping right?

These three are designed to hold a 4x6 or 5x7. A photo and some journaling is all that is needed.

Then there was another thing that I did in December. Every once in awhile inspiration comes from something that passes through your hands. A magazine page. A business card. This time it was the dog food bag.

Somebody was paid a lot of money to design this packaging. The balance, the colours, the variety of fonts. They were all carefully chosen. I studied this, sketched it out and then made this:

Ok, maybe it doesn't look anything like the bag, but I'll take my inspiration where I can get it.

There were some tags and cards too. All have gone to their new homes.

The other thing that I did in December was prepare a Project Life Album. Having purchased the kit in the fall, I saw a post for a Becky Higgins blog to help you set up your album for the year. Choosing which cards to use, each week, would have been the death of the project for me. Tucking them in a seemingly random order, with the knowledge that you can shuffle them about later, should you feel the need, was the ticket for me to get started on this style of memory keeping. My album is all laid out, waiting for photos and journaling. Kinda like my scrapbook pages. Is this is a new trend for me? Week one, has already been completed but I think that is for another post.

How about you? What new styles or ideas are you delving into this year?

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

Toying with the idea of "one word",I have not found that one that feels right. But if I move to phrases to ponder, artist Janice Tanton's wish for a year of "gentle making" gives me pause and a feeling of inner satisfaction that indicates I might have found my word(s).

After studying the kit and all the master forgers' kits in the blog hop posted on CKC, and falling head over heals in love with Lynnette's Jack Frost, I made a radical decision and instead of building my kit, sheet by sheet, chose to work with a collection I had on hand. One of the sheets in Lynnette's kit is from My Mind's Eye "All Is Bright". I picked this kit up late November at Winners. Have already tucked into it and am happy to continue with it for the first stretch of the year.

Here are the papers. The top right one is a repeat from Lynette's kit. All of it is My Minds' Eye/All is Bright.

The chipboard diecuts, gems, layered stickers and buttons that came in the kit are all MME/All is Bright. Exception being the yellow twine and wood frame are MME/Indie Chic.

Then of course I have to pull in from the old stash to make it my own.